


Tiger

by masserect



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Community: masseffectkink, F/F, F/M, Femslash, Het, Rare Pairings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-16
Updated: 2014-04-16
Packaged: 2018-01-19 16:09:05
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1475875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/masserect/pseuds/masserect
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack pounces on Ken down in the engineering subdeck. Tali and Gabby watch the security footage and decide to experiment a little on their own.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tiger

The subdeck had used to be a nice and comforting place. Now, it was a jungle. 

Not much had _changed_ , apart from the bed tucked into a corner and the guns lying scattered across the floor, and those didn't bother him. It may not be an Alliance ship, but it was military enough; guns weren't exactly out of place.

But it's not the trees you worry about in the jungle. It's the fact that you might get eaten by a tiger if you're not careful.

It wasn't a bad analogy. Tigers were beautiful creatures, sleek and powerful and covered in interesting patterns. Easy enough to admire at a distance. On the other hand, they also had bloody great big teeth and claws and a tendency to maul people for looking at them funny, and you could just forget about outrunning one once it got its sights on you.

It wasn't a bad analogy at all. Kenneth clutched his wrench a little tighter. Most people wouldn't think such a mundane thing as a wrench had a place on a state-of-the-art warship, but it had its place. Mostly as a bludgeon, but sometimes in his actual work.

Like right now. One of these days he'd have a chat with that guy flying the Normandy and explain that certain manoeuvres were listed in the owner's manual as 'not recommended' because they put stress on all the wrong things, and Joker wasn't the one who had to crawl through cramped, grease-stained areas and fix those things.

Most of the time, he loved his job. This one part of it, however, could die in a fire. 

He looked around quickly for - well, tigers - and eased his way in between two pipes. He had soon found the leaky fitting, and went to work. 

It wasn't complicated. A slow drip of water, clean and simple. It had barely registered on the scanners, but it wasn't as if it was going to fix itself, and he might as well get it done before it became a problem. Less than a minute later, he had tightened the fitting and sprayed a thick layer of sealant on it, firmly locking it in place. He waited a few moments while the liquid solidified, then gave it another coating for good measure - that thing wasn't going to get loose again anytime soon. 

At that point, someone cleared their throat right behind him.

"The fuck are you doing?"

He jumped, and promptly hit his head on a pipe above. The jolt made him lose his grip on the wrench, which landed on his foot. That, in turn, made him drop the can of sealant, which rolled away and disappeared under something out of sight. 

He swore, and there was a rather amused snort from his unseen assailant.

"Wait, you're that geek from engineering. If you're gonna tell me I broke something, save it. Whatever it is, I had nothing to do with it. Get that?"

"Actually," he said, and began to extract himself from the pipes, stooping to retrieve his wrench in case he needed it, "it's sloppy engineering. Cerberus decided to cut corners on the little things, and I'm the one -" He finally managed to get himself and the wrench past the last pipe and straightened up. 

He kind of wished he could have avoided it, because it brought him eye to eye with the scariest person on the _Normandy_.

"I'm the one who has to fix them when they break," he muttered, backing up against the pipes, fingers tightening around the wrench. "I'm done now. I should, uh." He shuffled vaguely in the direction of the stairs.

"Hey." A slender, tattooed arm blocked his path as she leaned against the wall in front of him. "You got time for a quick fuck?"

He couldn't actually have heard that... could he?

"Sorry?" His voice turned into a squeal. _Smooth, Donnelly_ , a tiny voice mocked in the back of his head. _Real smooth._

She laughed. 

"You heard me." She sounded a little less confrontational than usual. Maybe. "Pretty simple question. Need me to dumb it down for you?"

"Uh."

She rolled her eyes, one hand rising to rub her forehead. She didn't have to insult him verbally; the gesture told him everything he needed to know. "You," she said, after a moment's pause, raising her voice a little and pausing slightly between each word. "Not - bad - looking. Me. Bored - and - horny." Another pause "You can't be _that_ fucking dumb. They wouldn't let you touch the engines. Is it yes or no?"

"-sure," he squeaked, and Jack laughed again. It wasn't a pleasant sound. Then she grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him closer, grinning up at him.

" _Good_."

He was going to get himself killed. But hey, they were all likely to get themselves killed on this mission _anyway_ , and this way might actually be worth the trouble.

He leaned in to kiss her, and she pulled back, frowning.

"None of that mushy shit. Just get your ass over on the bed."

Before he could complain or comply, he realized that it wasn't up to him anymore. He was floating. And Jack's grin returned as she pulled him along, until they reached the bed. There, she pushed him back and released the biotic field that had kept him suspended, and he fell, just as she had said, on his ass on the bed.

Jack was not far behind, and before he could react, she had pushed him down on his back and was straddling his hips, leaning down on his shoulders, keeping him still.

"I'm not what you imagined." He wasn't sure if that was a grin or a _smirk_ , but whatever it was, it felt as if she expected an answer.

"I wasn't-"

She snorted. "Yeah, 'cause you _never_ looked." She straightened up and hooked her thumbs under the... belt thingy she wore over her chest - just enough to avoid a ticket for indecent exposure. "I know men. You _always_ imagine."

Ken might have been about to argue, but ended up simply gaping instead. He thought his eyes may pop out of their sockets when she shrugged her shoulders and the belt slipped up, treating him to a view that definitely _would_ result in a ticket (and moments thereafter, a security officer in a great deal of pain).

He _had_ looked. Not always at her tits, mind. Sometimes at her tattoos. Sometimes at the tattoos _covering_ her tits, even. Blue, mostly, up there; patterns he wasn't sure if they meant anything. A dark purple vine curled across her right breast, a more recent addition, covering the blue markings. It was subtle compared to the scar crossing the left breast, diagonally from high on her left shoulder until it met another scar, completely vertical, leading from the centre of her chest and down towards her stomach. Just above her navel, that scar split into two, pointing diagonally down to her hipbones.

She had a lot of scars, and only some of them seemed to be from combat injuries. He'd heard stories about her being a test subject in a facility somewhere, but nobody had told him any specifics. Hell, given Jack's... attitude, she probably hadn't told _anyone_ any specifics.

Usually, he'd be curious, but this was one of those times when he just didn't want to know. Just in case reality turned out to be worse than his imagination.

"How long are you going to gawk? These aren't going to touch themselves." She tugged at a clasp, and the entire belt-garment fell off. She dropped it next to the bed and leaned closer.

It was an obvious invitation, and he wouldn't need another one. 

Jack was relatively flat-chested compare to some of the other women on board, but her breasts fit nicely under his hands. She had small, dark nipples, already hard, little nubs rubbing against his palms.

He shifted his grip and tugged at them with his thumbs and forefingers, and Jack hummed. "Harder," she demanded. "Use your teeth."

He raised his head, and she leaned down further, pushing her right breast against his mouth. He could only do as she asked and go to work with lips, tongue and teeth. 

Jack chuckled and fisted a hand in his hair, pulling him tighter against her.

Emboldened by her response, he wrapped his left arm around her and let his hand roam across her back and shoulders. He knew she had tattoos there, too, but he couldn't remember what they looked like. She had never really turned her back on him, he realized - it was no wonder he had no memory of that part of her.

Her skin was soft, but here, too, it was marked with scars - some of them long, large, and far too precise to have been inflicted in combat. He traced one that began at the back of her neck, fully down her spine, until his fingers met cloth. The scar disappeared under her pants, and he followed it back up again, gently.

"Christ," he mumbled, pulling away from her breasts. "What'd they do to you?"

She scoffed. "What _didn't_ they do? You wanna know the details, ask your Cerberus boss."

Her eyes had turned hard and cold, and he pulled away hurriedly, hands raised. "Hey, I'm just an engineer. I don't-"

"Then engineer yourself a big cup of _shut the fuck up_." She didn't even sound angry - angrier than usual - but her expression was still dangerous. "You're not here to ask questions, and I'm not here to answer them. You want out? I'm not stopping you." She ground her hips roughly against him, and he winced as his painfully confined erection strained against the pressure. She grinned. "But you're not leaving."

He shook his head mutely.

Jack chuckled darkly as she felt his hands on her back again, this time ignoring the scars. He reached the waistband of her pants and she raised herself slightly, allowing him to slide them down. There wasn't much more he could do with her straddling him like this, but it did give him access to - to some more interesting things.

Jack groaned appreciatively when his hands landed on her ass and he dug his fingers in. "Yeah," she hissed. "That's how it's done." Then he felt her hands sliding up his stomach, pushing his shirt up until it bunched up under his arms. 

Then she stopped, pushed his hands aside and slid off, standing up long enough to kick off her boots and let the pants drop. Then, entirely naked, she glared down at him.

"You taking that off, or am I shredding it?"

He had more shirts, but none of them close by, and it would raise questions if he were seen running shirtless through the corridors. He hurried to pull it over his head, and Jack grinned before bending down and going to work on his belt. Before he knew it, she had yanked his trousers down past his knees, leaving them bunched around his ankles.

He didn't care about the pants. All he cared about was the relief of no longer having his cock bent and pressed against his hip. Now, it simply made a tent in his boxers.

Jack pulled them down and regarded him critically, then, seeming to find nothing worth complaining about, shrugged. 

"Gotta warn you," she said as she sat down again, straddling his thighs. "If you're the type that comes after five minutes and falls asleep, I'm throwing you out the fucking airlock."

"Don't worry," he said, and reached down, putting his hands on her buttocks and pulling her up, until he could feel the heat of her sex against his. "I always finish what I start."

She snorted, and rather than answer, reached down and wrapped her fingers around his prick. Pulled up a little, slid his tip back and forth across her moist slit a few times.

Then she let herself fall, and they grunted in unison as she took him all the way inside in a single plunge, coming to rest on his hips.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, hands clutching at her thighs.

"Fuck," muttered Jack, shifting her hips, trying to find a comfortable position. 

Even those miniscule movements were enough to slide her slick, heated flesh against his. He groaned, gritting his teeth, sliding his hands up and down her legs. It wasn't the way she squeezed him, the way he slid so easily into her - it was the _warmth_ of being held within her body that drove him crazy.

Jack looked down at him and grinned unsettlingly.

Then she began to move.

He knew better than to believe that she'd be gentle. And she was not. Her movements were fast and erratic; she dug her nails in and raked stinging furrows down his chest and arms, and she bit him, almost as if she was _trying_ to draw blood.

He bit back, not daring to respond with quite the same force - nipping at her breasts, at her shoulder, the side of her neck - and she moaned deeply, arms wrapping around him to make sure he didn't stop.

He bit harder, and she cried out hoarsely, shuddering in his embrace.

He had never thought that pain could be erotic, but Jack was fully determined to teach him otherwise.

If there had once been a niggling doubt in the back of his head, a sensation that maybe he was forgetting something, it had long since disappeared.

* * *

"Oh, my."

It was rare to hear exclamations of surprise from anyone other than Ken. 

"Did something happen?" Gabby was already on her way over to Tali's console. In the engineering section on a starship, that tone usually meant that something vital was behaving in an unexpected manner and it needed to be fixed _fast_.

She was somewhat mystified when the quarian hurriedly closed whatever reading she had been looking at and blurted out a flustered "Nothing."

"Huh." Gabby cocked her head to the side, resting one hand on her hip. "You sure about that?"

Tali looked away. "I, I suppose you should see. The cameras below picked up something... something unusual."

"You're embarrassed," Gabby concluded. "Why are you-"

Tali hit a button on her console. The screen sprung to life once more.

"...oh, my," Gabriella managed, and blinked at the image. Tali shuffled to the side to give her a better view.

"I did not realize that engineer Donnelly had such nice... arms." 

"He works out," Gabby mumbled, without taking her eyes off the screen. Damn girl was right, he _did_ have nice arms. She never really thought about it before. Mostly thought about the way he tended to elbow her when they had to work side by side.

Those arms were currently wrapped around Jack's chest, holding her down on top of him; his face buried against her neck and shoulder. She seemed to be fighting to get free, biting and clawing at his shoulders, even as she rolled her hips. The camera angle was a few degrees short of an 'X' rating, but it was obvious what was going on down there.

Tali folded her arms over her chest and sighed. Gabby tore her attention away from the screen long enough to see the quarian turn her head away, shaking it slightly.

"What's wrong?"

Tali sighed once more. "I was just looking at her hands. Wondering what it feels like." She unfolded her arms and held up her hands, three-fingered and slender. 

Gabby stole a look at the screen. Ken's hands were on Jack's hips now, and she had straightened up and was riding him hard, bouncing and grinding. Ken leaned his head back, eyes closed, evidently enjoying the treatment a great deal. She chewed her lower lip. She shouldn't be turned on by that, but she couldn't deny that it was - having an effect. A certain tingling feeling when she moved, when her thighs brushed together.

Oh, hell with it.

"You want to try?"

Tali jumped. "I, I cannot-"

"I have seen you work. You can still feel through that suit."

"But," Tali protested. 

"Here. Try it the way she does." Jack's fingers were splayed, her hands moving a bit unsteadily across Ken's chest.

Tali hesitated. Gabby took hold of her wrists and pulled the quarian's hands to her shoulders.

"Try it," she said, trying to sound encouraging. "Move further down."

Still hesitant, Tali obeyed. The three-fingered hands felt - _odd_ , but it certainly wasn't unpleasant. 

"I'm sensitive there, so be gentle with me, all right?"

Tali nodded silently, but this time, she did not falter.

Gabby purred softly as the quarian gently massaged her breasts. Despite everything, Tali knew basic human anatomy, and her fingers sought the little buds of Gabby's hardening nipples, rolled them carefully between her fingers, pulled at them gently through her shirt and bra.

And Gabby continued to purr, her own hands reaching out to return the favour.

Tali jumped at the touch, but did not protest when the human's hands landed on her hips, pulling her a little closer.

She remained silent when they began to wander upwards, stroking her sides and stomach through the form-fitting envirosuit.

When Gabby reached her breasts, Tali, too, let out a soft hum of approval.

Even through the suit, Gabby could feel two faint little bumps right where Tali's nipples ought to be, and teasing them with her fingers produced a most satisfying little moan from the quarian.

Feeling a little weak-kneed, she eased her hands around and pulled Tali close, embracing her. And somewhat to her surprise, she felt a three-fingered hand sliding down her back, coming to settle on her rear, gently squeezing through her clothes.

"Turn around," Tali mumbled next to her ear.

"You're planning something."

"Yes." Not a trace of hesitation now. Gabby chuckled and writhed, managing to turn without entirely breaking Tali's embrace.

That left her with the security camera footage right in front of her, Tali's breasts pressed against her back, one three-fingered hand on her own chest, and another on her upper thigh.

Jack had bent low over Ken, was moving slower now, seemed to be saying something. Then they rolled over, and Ken buried his head between Jack's breasts as he began to thrust. She raked her nails down his back, smiling, and wrapped her legs tightly around his waist.

Gabby shivered when Tali began to play with her breasts again, the hand on her thigh remaining still.

Without taking her eyes off the screen in front of her, she reached down, covered Tali's hand with her own, and moved it slightly to the side.

"I want this." Foreplay was all nice and well, but they needed to finish before anyone stumbled in here and found them - before _Ken and Jack_ finished, and _they_ had a head start. "Touch me."

Tali was only too happy to oblige. Gabby felt her toes curl at the first tentative touch, a single finger stroking her through pants and panties, and her eyes fluttered shut, the footage that led up to this momentarily forgotten.

Then she blinked as the pressure between her thighs disappeared. Moments later, she felt Tali beginning to unbuckle her belt.

"Yes," she whispered, just in case Tali needed it.

There was a metallic scraping of a zipper, and her pants slid down to her knees. A single finger toyed with the waistband on her panties, briefly, before slowly slipping inside. 

Gabby whimpered, knuckles whitening as she clutched the console in front of her. It wasn't usually like this. She liked to take it slowly - was a bit of a romantic, as if anyone would believe that. But there was something oddly compelling about this more hurried, somewhat... 'risky' encounter. 

"Tell me if I go too fast," Tali said, sounding somewhat far-off. "I am less used to..." She seemed to fumble for words.

Gabby shook her head and began to move her hips, meeting Tali's movements. "Faster," she whispered. 

Tali made an affirmative sound and sped up. 

Gabby purred deep in her throat and arched her back, staring up at the ceiling without really seeing anything. If all quarians had hands like _this_ , their reputation as the best engineers in the galaxy was well earned.

And Tali was better than most.

Whimpering, slowly losing strength, Gabby let herself sink down towards the console, folding her arms and resting her forehead on them. Her legs were unsteady, her skin tingled and she could feel a familiar warm, fizzy sensation pooling deep in her belly, beginning to spread through her limbs, coil its way up around her spine. 

Tali's fingers moved faster, quickly circling, wet and slick.

Gabby shuddered, bit her lip to stop herself crying out, and quietly sobbed as flashes of coloured light burst before her eyes.

It was over too soon, left her panting and trembling, weakly leaning on the console as Tali slowed down and eventually stopped.

When the quarian finally pulled back, Gabby had recovered enough to rise unsteadily and give her benefactor a dazed but genuine smile.

"I wish I could taste you." A little wistful, still, Tali held up her right hand, the first finger slick and glistening. "That I could show you how my tongue would feel."

"I'm sure it would be lovely," Gabby mumbled, still not quite clear-headed. "Here, come here..."

When Tali obeyed, Gabby wrapped her arms around her again, holding her, rocking slowly from side to side. Still dazed, she could only purr wordlessly and nuzzle Tali's neck awkwardly, but some things didn't need words. Tali returned the embrace as well as she was able, one hand stroking Gabby's hair.

"I want to try, too."

"But," Tali objected. 

"You can feel, right?" She eased an arm in between them, slipped her fingers between the quarian's thighs, and Tali gasped. Gabby smiled. "It'll be fine. Please let me try."

It didn't take Tali long to decide, and nod, just once.

Gabby smiled, and continued.

Tali felt surprisingly human, beyond the two missing fingers on each hand, but there were some differences. Her hips were wider, her legs a little further apart. That only made Gabby's job easier. 

Even when Tali began to tremble and her legs clamped together, trying to trap the quickly moving fingers between them.

Lines, circles, eight-figures. Each new way she found to move her fingers elicited a different reaction from Tali.

One touch caused her to arch her back, holding her breath, staring at the ceiling.

The next made her curl up, head resting against Gabby's shoulder, shoulders heaving as she drew quick, shallow breaths.

_I wish_ , Gabby echoed, and imagined what Tali's reaction might be if she could use her tongue, with no suit between them.

But Tali was gasping and writhing, trembling as she leaned powerlessly against her companion, and it was _enough_.

Gabby's fingers continued stroking, circling swiftly. 

Whimpering, shaking and bucking her hips, arms shaking as she clung to the human in front of her, Tali'Zorah found the release she had been longing for, and for a long while after, neither of them spoke a word.

"Are you okay?" Gabby ventured at last.

"Oh, Keelah." Tali shuddered, her grip tightening. She drew several slow, deep breaths, and then straightened up. "I... oh, _Keelah_."

Gabby just laughed softly and held her. It may not lead anywhere - they may never repeat this again. 

But you never knew. 

For now, they could just savour the moment.

Tali returned the embrace, the soft, slightly metallic noise of her breathing slowly returning to normal.

On the monitor, forgotten by both women, the pair on the subdeck changed positions again.

* * *

Jack was riding him again, facing him, just like they had started. Her eyes half-lidded but burning with intensity, she held his gaze locked while her hips moved - back and forth, in circles, up and down. Her lithe body gleamed with sweat, and she was panting, chest heaving. He was no better off, brought just right up to the edge what felt like a dozen times, but never able to finish. The sheets clung to his back, to his legs; his jaw ached from being clenched, and his hands ached from holding on to the girl on top of him. He still held on, hands on her hips, firmly decided not to let her stop this time. 

It didn't seem like she was about to. 

He tightened his grasp, knuckles whitening, hands shaking, and pulled her down again and again.

Jack's hands were on his chest, still, just holding her upright. His skin stung where their mingled sweat covered the multitude of welts and scrapes she had left on him, but the pain did not distract him.

Every nerve in his body sizzled and tingled. 

His hands slid and slipped, slick with sweat and more.

She closed her eyes and moaned, back arching, fingers pinching his nipples.

He pulled her down hard and held her there, and his body shook. His head fell back against the mattress, his eyes closed, his mouth open, trying to scream, but never finding his voice. 

Vaguely, he was aware that she shuddered; raised herself briefly, then plunged down again.

Burying him deep inside her.

His body shook again; the breath hissed between his teeth. His hands had fallen limp at his sides; now they clutched helplessly at the moist, tangled sheets.

Jack slowly sank down against his chest, and he managed to wrap his arms around her, hold her tightly despite the spasms shaking him, despite the blinding fireworks bursting in his head.

Eventually, they lay still and silent, breathing heavily.

It did not take Jack long to break his hold and roll off him, coming to lie on her back, her shoulder against his.

He knew better than to disturb her.

Several minutes later, he sat up. His body ached, but he was in no position to complain.

The bed went _crink_ as he rose and began to dress. Jack watched in silence with half-lidded eyes. It wasn't until he turned away and began to make for the stairs that she finally moved. 

"Hey, engineer."

He turned his head. She waved lazily. "That wasn't bad, for a geek. Get me a copy of the security footage."

Suddenly, it clicked in his head.

He knew _exactly_ what it was he had been forgetting.

_Oh, holy fucking **shit**._


End file.
